Inconvenience

The boys are really growing-up! Gabriel, Robert and Diogo at a camp we had a few weeks ago.

Inconvenience. To me, it’s one of the words that best describes our life. Our life is full of “inconveniences.”  To have something, then to not have it is worse than never having it at all (in my opinion). We don’t have soooo many of the things that we took for granted in the States. And they’re things that I’d call major inconveniences too. Here, let me just rattle some off the top of my head:

Things like fast internet (or any internet at all), A/C and heat in our house or car, fast food (or actually fast anything!), the ability to go to the store and buy what I need when I need it 24hrs a day. Being able to make a phone call from our house rather than having to drive 30 minutes to use my magic jack at a friends house (thanks Victor!). Watching TV every once in a while rather than the same DVD’s we own (and have already watched over and over a million times). Being able to flush our toilet paper rather than taking it out to the burn pile. Being able to take our trash to the street so that the sanitation department can take it away rather than sorting through it and burning it. We miss a steady paycheck. We miss being able to buy insecticide that will “nuke” all the insects rather than having to be eaten alive everyday (even though we spray ourselves 2-3 times a day with insecticide). We miss having hot water in the house to wash dishes with or even being able to shave with hot water on demand would be nice. Using a napkin that actually worked (you have to be here to understand what I’m talking about). Being able to pay all our bills on line, rather than having to go stand “in line” at the lottery place for 20 minutes after driving 30 minutes to get there (and there’s no such thing as mailing a check either).  Being able to live and drive on paved roads. Actually, we miss MJ being able to drive at all (she can’t drive stick shift and that’s all we have). I especially miss being able to put my shoes on without checking in them for deadly snakes or spiders first. I miss living at an altitude that doesn’t consistently make me congested and tired all rolled into one. I miss living in a house where mold doesn’t grow on all the walls, decorations, clothes, shoes, actually on everything (another byproduct of the altitude combined with the fact that we live in the jungle). I could literally sit here for another hour listing out more of the inconveniences, but that would be futile. 

And to think that we gave up all of the conveniences of our former life to do what we’re doing now is pretty frustrating sometimes. But as I sit here feeling sorry for myself (don’t judge me- you do it sometimes too) there’s a scripture that comes to mind that brings it all back into perspective. If you’re like me you’ve probably read it a thousand times before too. But it’s something that if we read it, think about it and apply it to our lives- it makes it impossible to feel sorry for ourselves because of any inconvenience we could ever encounter in this life (as a result of following Jesus, that is).

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

                       Philippians 2:5-8

So, for me to ever think that I’ve given up a lot to follow God’s plan for my life- it’s actually laughable and pales in comparison to what Jesus gave up (and moved away from) to follow God’s plan. I didn’t leave Heaven- because as nice as the US is... it ain’t Heaven, right? And even though I left behind some of my rights as an American that don’t transfer to me here in Brazil- I didn’t give up my rights as “God.” And even though I’m driving on roads riddled with potholes (even on the highway) rather than the nice paved roads of the US- I didn’t leave a place where the streets were actually paved with gold! He gave up more than I could ever give up. And if He did it for me as an example.

This life is fleeting. This life is a vapor, This life is so short in light of eternity. So if following His plan for our life is a little (or even a lot, lol!) inconvenient... then so be it. His promises are true and He’s worth it. This life here on this planet is just temporary- but life with Him but eternal and will never end: )

Feeling Encouraged Today,

Jim